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    Rainforest Cafe

    2.8 (387 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican, Salad, Soup

    Rainforest Cafe Photos

    RAINFOREST CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Rainforest Cafe

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    Blackened fish tacos
    Jenny H.

    Rainforest Cafe is a super fun and special experience for kids! We came for lunch on a Monday afternoon and it was pretty empty. Service was super quick, attentive, and friendly! There is an extensive kids meal where you can pick a main dish with kid friendly items like sliders, hot dogs, Mac & cheese, nuggets & more, a side, and a drink (milk or apple juice) that comes in a cute takeaway cup. You can also pay $13 for a nicer souvenir cup with a slushee too but we opted not to. We ordered the kids grilled chicken which came with beans & rice and fresh fruit (orange and apple slices), and 2 kid sliders. For the adults we got the blackened fish tacos and the iggy piggy, which is their version of a Cuban. The tacos were very good, but the beans that came on the side were bland. The sandwich was also delicious but the fries were mediocre. Only negative thing is it is expensive for lunch - would love if they had a lunch special. Overall, would recommend, but only if you are bringing kids! The decor and the thunderstorms made it worth it as an overall experience. Keep in mind that you have to walk through the gift shop to get to the restaurant though which is a little rough with kids, but their souvenirs are pretty reasonably priced and there are some nice cheap options like personalized keychains for $5 and stuffed bird animals for $10. Conveniently located at Menlo Park Mall with plenty of parking. It's right by Macy's!

    The rainforest!
    Alan B.

    This is a great place to take young kids, they really enjoy the setting, the animatronic animals, and the plethora of other animals adorning the walls and ceilings. They also like the cacophony of jungle sounds and the Atlas waterfall toward the back of the dining area. It's surely a stimulating and entertaining environment for them. The food is just okay, and lot of it is fried. That said, the ribs were good and the steak was cooked correctly, but tough and chewy. However, if you're not dining with younger children, don't come here! I'd probably give this place 3.5 stars, but the kids had such a great time, I'm rounding up to 4 stars.

    Shrimp Tacos
    James I.

    First off service was great. Staff were friendly and helpful. They checked on us in a timely fashion. Definitely appreciate that. The atmosphere is LOUD. A lot of cool stuff is going on with plenty animals, objects & such. Plus music. The food came in a timely manner... Didn't really enjoy it though. Sadly. The app was the best part. My food was the island sampler. The fish was just plain. It definitely needed some sort of seasoning. There was some really strong random spice in the rice which I found really weird. I feel like my plate was over priced for what I received. This is a cool spot if you are just looking for an entertaining spot to eat at. Aside from that I really wouldn't recommend. Unfortunately.

    Chicken quesadilla
    Paula C.

    Come for the thunderstorms, stay for the Cheetah Ritas. A+ timeless ambience always but the food was kind of lacking. Maybe just drinks next time. We came on a weeknight date and we had a great time, easy to park and easy to find since it's right by an entrance to the mall. The service was quick and the staff was friendly. I also have to add that the gift shop was fun to peruse.

    Appetizer sampler
    Angela B.

    Sweet, sweet nostalgia! The Rainforest Cafe is just as magical as I remember it. The smell of the fountain, the tray of colorful stones in the gift shop, and of course the periodic thunderstorms! The sampler was very good! I was actually surprised, as let's be real, no one comes here for the food. The Rasta pasta was a bit watery and I would have liked it to be more creamy. The drink was okay. I would probably pass on the drinks next time, unless I wanted to go home with a souvenir glass!

    Artichoke dip with chips
    Root E.

    My hubbers took me here along with our kids for Mother's Day. Our kids seemed to like it. There's a lot of stimulation and things to look at. You definitely feel like you're walking into something (chaotic that is, lol). We were quickly seated which was great. Now, our waitress was very nice. But was hardly ever seen and took too long for everything. It took her awhile to come to our table, the food took so long, and asking for the check!! Lord, are you guys making the paper in the back and writing out the receipts by hand?! I had to get the managers attention to hurry up and get our meal paid. My husband got steak, I got coconut shrimp, and we ordered 2 pizzas for the kids. We orders the artichoke dip with chips. Just a suggestion Rainforest, you may want to change up that oil you fry your chips in or buy from someone else. The chips tasted burnt and had a bitter taste. My kids spit it out. The kids meals came out 1st, mind you my kids are slow eaters. By the time our food came out, they were pretty much done. Thank god for snacks. If I didn't have any on hand they would have been freaking out. Husbands steak was super rare, he ate the outside of it. Honestly we have no time to be going back and forth with the kitchen having twins. And this place is super chaotic with kids running around and screaming. My shrimp was pretty good. I had burnt fries though and the sauce it came was not good at all!!! Very sweet, tasted like it came out of a box, and smelled funny. Overall, it was an experience for my kids. I was over it before it started. Don't think we'll come back again.

    Islands in the stream salmon
    Gabriela C.

    The spinach artichoke dip and chips were just as good as I remember them being as a kid. I ordered one of the 30th anniversary specials "islands in the stream salmon" and it was delicious. The glaze on the salmon was tasty, the jasmine rice was fluffy, and the vegetables (sauteed kale, corn, tomatoes, pickled onions) were delicious. Really light and flavorful dish. I honestly wish they had this on the main menu. The only thing I didn't like was that the tex mex style egg rolls and french fries that I tasted had an oily flavor that was a touch bitter. I probably would steer clear of fried foods here but would return again for the current special.

    Ka V.

    We're Minnesota natives and every time we'd walk by the Mall of America location, my kids would always stop and stare at the decorations so my husband and I did a cute little "save the date: something wild is coming" experience for part of their Christmas gift. We made a reservation for a Sunday lunch in January to keep our kids excited. The decor and ambiance truly captivated the hearts of my 5 and 3 year olds. My 11 year old said everything looked super cool and spent the entire time looking for animals hidden in the restaurant. There is greenery everywhere, big statues of animals and my kids could not stop talking about how awesome the place is. It gets loud (you hear elephants and thundering) so my 3 y/o got scared but it didn't take away from the experience. As always, we chose the Rainforest Cafe PRIMARILY for the experience and for a "core memory" for our boys. I had no big expectations for the food, but was pleasantly surprised at how tasty everything was. My husband is hard to please, but he thoroughly enjoyed the Sirloin Stroganoff. I had the Blue Mountain Chicken Sandwich and it's a typical sandwich. Kiddos got the Rainforest Rascals (two mini cheeseburgers) and a cheese pizza. All meals kept the kids quiet and well fed until after we had left the restaurant. I ordered a strawberry mojito and it was really good! The splash of Sprite took me by surprise but I knew it came with it and it didn't disappoint! The kids are already begging to come back and we can't wait to bring them again.

    Service at the bar was incredible, I honestly was just going to sit there to eat instead of waiting since we already for drinks. However, once seated our food took well over an hour- just for the appetizer. The dessert was COLD when the menu said WARM. Disappointed. Wasted so much time with no communication. To top it off our drink came with an extra surprise- a plastic lid from the drink top was just mixed in at the bottom....pretty disgusting. The waiter didn't seem to care about his job and was no where to be found. The restaurant literally was almost empty by the time we left. Take pics, grab a quick bite at the bar and enjoy dinner somewhere else. It's truly just for the antics.

    Inside view of the empty aquarium
    Tony P.

    We went to lunch at this place adjacent to the upscale Menlo Park Mall. It's been a long time since the last time I went dining here. Nothings change. Same decor, but I noticed that there's no more tropical fish in those two big empty tube aquariums. Maybe they all died? I ordered their Rainforest Hamburger and my wife ordered Fish and Chips. The food is good freshly made. This place is empty during Thursday lunch, few tables we're occupied by families celebrating birthdays. I hope they won't close, let's continue to support them, considering that this restaurant is considered an icon of this upscale mall.

    Nancy K.

    I loved coming here again! I love the animals and the ambiance. The food is soooo good! Giving shoutout to our waitress. She was nice and professional. I would definitely come back here

    Rainforest Cafe Burger supposed to be medium rare

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    Great ambiance , food was good, kids enjoyed the views of dinosaurs would love to come again

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    The scenery is to die for but the staff-eh.. the food eh..overall just cute animation for the little ones..

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    Page 2 of 10

    Ask the Community - Rainforest Cafe

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